Collaboration Details

Title of Collaborative Activity:

Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Description of Collaborative Activity:

The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study is the first large-scale National Institutes of Health (NIH)/U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collaboration since Congress granted FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) in 2009. The PATH Study is a national longitudinal cohort study that will follow an estimated 59,000 U.S. household residents ages 12 years and older for at least three years. Objectives are to assess initiation and use patterns; to study trends in tobacco-product use cessation and relapse; to monitor behavioral and health impacts, including in risk perceptions and other tobacco-related attitudes; and to assess differences in tobacco-related attitudes, behaviors, and health outcomes among racial/ethnic, gender, and age subgroups. The PATH Study will also collect biospecimens from adults to analyze biomarkers of tobacco use and related health outcomes. By measuring and accurately reporting on the social, behavioral, and health effects associated with tobacco-product use in the U.S., the PATH Study will provide an empirical evidence base to help inform FDA’s decisions about changes in tobacco products in meeting the objectives of the 2009 FSPTCA.